State Of Maharashtra vs Kusum Charudutt Bharma Upadhye on 17 November, 1980
The power under Article 227 is exercisable only over all Courts and tribunals throughout the territories in relation to which the High Court exercises jurisdiction. By no stretch of imagination can the writ of habeas corpus or mandamus or quo warranter or prohibition be ever said to be part of the power of superintendence. The power to issue a writ of certioretri is also not a part of the power of superintendence, though at times a contention has been raised that it is. So far as the old prerogative writ jurisdiction was concerned, the power to' issue these writs was held to be an exercise of original jurisdiction. It was expressly so held with respect to a writ of habeas corpus in Mahomedalli Allabux v. Ismailji Abdulali, with respect to a writ of certiorari in Ryots of Garabandho and other villages v. Zamindar of Parlakimedi, and Raghunath Keshav Khadilkar v. Poona Municipality and with respect to a writ of quo warranto in Hamid Hasan Nomani v. Banwarilal Roy. In the last-mentioned case the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council held (p. 93(2), para. 17):